Broun Fellinis

When: Fri., Jan. 18, 10 p.m. 2008Price: $10

Leave it to free-jazz trio the Broun Fellinis to take a conventional
idea -- a Christmas album, in this case -- and push it in 10 million funky
directions. And it just gets funkier. Last month, the group put out its own
antidote to the traditional Johnny Mathis Christmas with December, which features original takes on canonical tunes like
"Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy," "Little Drummer Boy," and "Carol of the
Bells." Always sardonic, often dissonant, and sometimes real dubby and effected, December
runs the gamut from straight trio pieces to heavily processed stuff. It's
worth checking out. Broun Fellinis perform Friday,
Jan. 18 at Black New World Gallery (826
Pine St., Oakland).
10 p.m., $10. BlackNewWorld.com